


The Monsters in the Closet

by PearlTopaz



Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Kind of the same but not really, Non-canon character - Freeform, Winter hallucinating, Winter is sad, Winter lunar sickness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-15 05:04:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 5,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9219965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PearlTopaz/pseuds/PearlTopaz
Summary: Winter is having an 'episode'. Normally, Jacin would save her from the monsters, but this time, something is different.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own anything.

Winter was hiding.

The closet was dark and warm, and at first it had seemed like a good place to hide. So when the walls started bleeding, when the screams in her ears got too loud, she had run blindly in, shutting the door behind her. She'd burrowed in as far as she could, covering her ears.

The screams had quieted, and the smell of blood had lessened, so Winter thought she was safe. She had relaxed a little, reaching her arms out to feel for a light switch, a flashlight, or really anything.

But what she found was not at all good.

Her hand had hit something soft, so Winter thought it was clothing of some sort. She pulled it down to her lap. 

And screamed. It wasn't a coat or a dress or a suit, it was an animal. It writhed in her grasp, it's claws ripped into her hands and forearms. The smell of blood grew stronger again. Winter began to panic. She had tried to push the creature away, but it had latched onto her wrist and wasn't letting go anytime soon. Winter flailed her arms and legs, wanting,  _needing_ to get it off, get it off, get it off, GET IT OFF!

It's screeches mingled with her own shrieks as Winter did anything and everything to escape, not just the animal, but the closet as well. She thought she could hear more scratches, scurrying, squeaks, claws clicking on the cold stone floor. In her heart of hearts, the very depths of her soul, Winter truly believed the things were going to overtake her and shred her and claw her and bite her and climb on her and eat her and kill her!

Slowly, her screams died down, transforming into sobs. She realized that not only were the creatures gone, but her hands, arms, and clothes were untouched. The small terrors had never really existed. She was alone in the large, dark closet.

Winter's crying continued for a long, long time. Not just because of the horrible things in the closet, or even the sadness of more hallucinations, the knowledge she was sinking deeper and deeper into madness. No, her despair was for a different reason: Jacin.

Jacin was supposed to be there for her. He was supposed to hold her and rock her and reassure her with his calming voice.  _Shhh, Princess, shhhh. It's alright. You're okay. I'm here. I'm here._ But Jacin hadn't come. He hadn't done any of those things. He hadn't even noticed.

Winter knew she was being unfair. Jacin had other, probably better things to do than comforting crazy princesses. She was sure he had a perfectly good reason for not hearing her screams and sobs, for not noticing that to her, the walls were bleeding and people were screaming and animals were ripping her to shreds.

But she was still too tired, too scared, too confused to take note of all that.

So she hid in the closet and listened to the screams which had not disappeared and smelled the blood on the walls and cried for Jacin to find her and save her from herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own anything.

Jacin was worried.

He hadn't seen Winter since this morning. His princess had a tendency to get into trouble without supervision. He'd asked several people. The common response: "Oh, that crazy princess? No, haven't seen her." Both derogatory and unhelpful.

He had already checked the usual spots- her room, the menagerie, the flower shop, various assorted spare rooms in the palace. Nothing.

He wanted to check some of her less common hiding places. Unfortunately, most of them were blocked or hidden or guarded or simply unavailable to him. For example, once or twice she had gone into the library and crawled into the empty fireplace. There was no fire, of course, but no one could find her since no one even thought to check there. When Levana found out, the fireplace was sealed in with concrete. So she couldn't be there.

Jacin decided the most reasonable course of action was to check every single room he could, one at a time. Leave no stone unturned. 

He started on the top floor, working his way down. Soon, he knew that this could easily take the whole day, or more. The topmost floor alone took him over an hour to search, and there were thirty-two levels.

He wanted to give up, but he couldn't. Jacin ground his teeth and set to work on the thirty-first floor.

Then the thirtieth.

Twenty-ninth.

Twenty-eighth.

Twenty-seventh.

Twenty-sixth.

Jacin was starting to despair. It had been five hours and he hadn't found anything. Well, that wasn't  _quite_ true. Thirteen maids, a chef, a duchess, and five guards. No Princess Winter. 

Then, on floor twenty-four, he heard something.

Whimpering. Crying.  _My princess._

Jacin broke into a run, heading for the sound. He passed a startled servant, but kept going. He was getting closer, he could tell. 

He entered a room. The sobbing was here, but no Winter. It seemed to be coming from...

Another door! Jacin rushed to open it. It was a huge closet. Dark. But he heard the crying slow, then stop.

"Jacin?" a shaky voice whispered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment! I'd love to know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own anything.

"Winter!" Jacin's voice was loud. Almost as loud as the screams in her ears. Almost loud enough to drown them out for a second. 

Almost.

"Jacin, you're  _here._ " Winter sighed in relief. She didn't know how long she'd been in the closet, but it had been too long. Even Winter could tell that, and she'd once spent two full days drawing Ryu and his enclosure in the menagerie. 

Sadly, Winter couldn't move. The coat she'd pulled over herself had turned into stone, restraining her to the floor. She knew it probably wasn't really stone. Unfortunately, that didn't really change the fact that she was trapped. 

Jacin shoved through the clothing in his way and reached her. He picked up the coat. When he touched it, it turned back to normal.  _Of course._ He helped her up. 

"Princess, what's wrong?" 

Winter wanted to answer, but he'd led her out of the closet, and she remembered why she'd entered. 

 _So much blood._ The walls were still bleeding. The blood was splashing. It was up to her knees. Winter gagged. The scent was thick in the air. She could barely think. She wanted to scream.

Jacin looked confused. 

"Princess, what is it?"

Winter couldn't breathe. The air was poisonous. She was choking. She made a weak noise in her throat.

Jacin was talking, but Winter couldn't hear. Her lungs were screaming for air, but there was no oxygen left.

Winter's legs gave out. Jacin's strong arms caught her and held her as Winter's vision turned black and she slipped into oblivion.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own anything.

Jacin stared at Winter. She looked so peaceful.

You'd never guess that, half an hour ago, she'd seemingly suffocated on thin air.

He knew enough from reading medical books that he knew it was probably another hallucination. Sure enough, once she was unconscious, her breathing had resumed normally. But Jacin was still worried.

Winter had, for some reason, hidden in a totally random closet and cried for eight hours straight. She had to be ridiculously dehydrated. He couldn't fathom why she hadn't left and at least gotten a glass of water.

She would probably tell him when she woke up. It was probably a perfectly sensible reason, too- at least, to Winter. 

In truth, he blamed himself.

He should have been there! He should have stayed with her or watched her or started looking for her sooner. He knew full well that no one else was likely to care, not even if they noticed her (stupid maid, she  _must_ have heard the crying). He knew that oftentimes Winter was, for some reason, unable to get up or call for help. 

Why hadn't he started looking sooner? It had been at least an hour before he started asking around- as if that had helped!- and he hadn't really started searching for another forty minutes. He could have found her sooner, helped her sooner. Who knew what terrible hallucination had gripped her mind?

Jacin would probably have carried on like this for a while, had Winter not woken up.

She stared at him for a second.

"Hello, Jacin. Do you know the walls have stopped bleeding?"

Jacin smiled in relief.

"Is that so, Princess? How lucky."

Winter sat up. Her hair was a mess. She wasn't wearing any makeup. Her dress was dirty and wrinkly. She was-

_Beautiful._

Jacin started. Where had  _that_ come from? True, the princess was widely acknowledged as the most beautiful girl in all of Luna, even without a glamour. But he'd already known that.

So why was he still thinking about it?

Winter interrupted his thoughts.

"Jacin?"

"Yes, Princess?"

"My mouth is terribly dry, and the blankets seem to have turned into stone."

Jacin handed her a glass of water. She grinned and took it. She drank while he took the (non-stone) blankets and folded them. 

Winter stood up and stretched. Then she frowned.

"Jacin, what time is it?

"Just before dinner."

"Oh, no! I didn't visit Ryu today! I promised him and he was waiting for me and I have let him down!" 

Jacin sighed. He personally could not care less that Ryu had been let down. He strongly doubted that Ryu had noticed. However, Winter was already leaving the room. He jogged after her, praying that this would go uneventfully and Winter's hallucinations would stay away. Sadly, he doubted it would happen. She had a habit of getting into trouble.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys, just wanted to say, if anyone at all is interested in me continuing this, please comment below to tell me. Otherwise, I'm not going to keep going, sorry. :(

Update: I'm going to continue with this one, so read on!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm starting again! Tbh, I wasn't sure if I should, but... here goes! :) Still don't own anything.

Winter's mind was racing.  _Hurry up, hurry up, hurry UP!_

She knew Jacin was probably confused. She knew she had most likely missed something important today. She knew that her stepmother would undoubtedly be unhappy about that.

But she didn't know any of the really important things. She didn't know if Ryu was still awake. She didn't know if anyone else was in the menagerie. She didn't know if anyone was going to stop her in between now and when she reached the menagerie. 

She didn't even know what floor she was on anymore... 

Winter wanted to sob. She felt lost- in her own home! Well, maybe  _home_ was too strong of a word.  _House. Place of residence. Living space. Accommodations._

But whatever the palace might be to her, the menagerie was Ryu's home, house, place of residence, living space, and accommodations. And she needed to see him. She had promised.

And Winter never broke a promise. 

Winter realized that she was standing at the entrance to the menagerie. But the lights inside were all off. There was no movement. The alarms were turned on. 

Ryu was asleep, and if Winter entered, the alarms would go off. He would wake up and... not be happy. Neither would any of the other animals. Neither would her stepmother, when she was dragged out of bed to investigate her crazy stepdaughter's antics. 

Winter couldn't visit Ryu.

She had broken her promise.

Winter broke down. She slid against the wall into a curled up position in the floor and cried. She cried for Ryu and for Jacin and for herself and for the walls that wouldn't stop bleeding and for everything she had ever done wrong. She felt Jacin stroking her hair. He whispered  _Princess._ But Winter was too far gone to even care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it! I don't really have regular update days or anything but I'll try to update more often. Constructive criticism is welcome!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own anything, I'm definitely not Marissa Meyer.

Jacin led Winter upstairs. She was shaking, tears streaming down her cheeks. She wouldn't stop crying.

All because Ryu had been asleep.

Something was seriously wrong. Winter overreacted sometimes, sure, but this wasn't an overreaction, this was a full-blown meltdown. Something must have triggered this. Something different.

But what was different?

Winter had hidden in a random closet. That was new. She had many hiding places, but that closet was not one of them. Winter liked her usual spots. She claimed they felt 'safe'. Jacin had a mental database of Winter's 'safe' places. She had told him herself once, told him all the spots she felt were safe, even ones that she'd never been but just appealed to her for some reason. Not even one of these was a closet.

Why would she hide in such a different area?

Maybe she had panicked. Maybe something had chased her. Maybe she was forced in. Maybe, maybe, maybe. He couldn't confirm anything. Winter wouldn't respond to his questions. She didn't even acknowledge him. 

Winter had stayed hidden for far longer than any other time Jacin could recall. That might just be because it took him longer to find her. But even Winter's hallucinations had limits. None had ever lasted for more than three or four hours at a time. So either she had had some other reason for staying there or her hallucinations had literally lasted eight hours straight.

Jacin shivered, suddenly cold. They were on the fifteenth floor, the one with the faulty heating system. Winter was shivering as well, although she might have just still been crying. 

They hurried up the stairs onto the warmer sixteenth floor. Jacin continued to think about it. He figured that the complete meltdown over Ryu had been exaggerated by Winter's exhaustion from the day. But why had she stayed in the closet?

Well, whatever the reason, it would have to wait for tomorrow. It was very late. No one else was up.

They entered Winter's room. Jacin gently led Winter to her bed. She collapsed on it, clearly exhausted. Her crying had ceased but she was obviously still upset. She was still wearing her fancy dress. It looked uncomfortable, but Winter was already asleep.

Jacin pulled the covers over her. He turned off the lights. He was about to leave the room, but a sudden urge swept over him. Quickly, Jacin walked back to Winter and softly pressed a goodnight kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight, Princess."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment, constructive criticism is welcome!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys (not sure if anyone is actually reading this as it updates, but whatever). I'm sorry for the long wait :(, I had strep and have been pretty sick, but I'm better now, so yay! Hope you like this one! As always, I'm not Marissa Meyer.

Winter woke up in bed.

That was strange. She had left her bed, to go find Ryu. She had been outside the menagerie. She had been crying... Things were blurry after that. Jacin must have brought her here. 

_Thank the stars for Jacin._

Thinking more clearly now, Winter realized she didn't have to tear down the stairs as fast as humanly possible to get to Ryu. After all, it wasn't like he was going to leave or anything.

Winter slid out of bed, humming. She didn't even have to change, she was already wearing a dress. That seemed funny for some reason, and she laughed. 

She walked down the stairs slowly. She twirled a bit reaching each floor-  _closer to Ryu!_ \- before continuing down. 

Winter couldn't explain how excited she was to see Ryu- she was just so happy! She saw Ryu almost every day. Why was this different?

It didn't matter. She didn't care why it was so important to see Ryu, she just smiled and walked a little faster. She was going to her Ryu, her sweet, loyal Ryu. That was the important thing here, not some irrational feeling in the back of her head. 

She was almost there. The stairs were apparently a lot slower when you weren't running. Winter suppressed an urge to slide down the banisters- the last time she did that, she'd gone too fast and started flying, which had been fun until she'd hit the wall arms-first and broke her wrist. Winter winced at the memory. 

Still, she was tempted to do it anyway- it was so fun, and if she didn't get hurt, it was the fastest way to get around. She remembered when she and Jacin were younger, they had held races, one kid on each railing. She remembered little Selene standing on the stairs in between them, her high, clear voice calling  _ready, set, go!_ The joyful shrieks, occasional arguments over winners, and trading places so all three got to race and take turns being the announcer. She remembered her father laughing so hard he cried when he had found the three children trying to dress up like race car drivers on Earth- Winter had mismatched gloves and shoes, and a skirt had been torn in the middle and tied around her legs like pants with bright ribbons. Jacin had torn up a bright red suit for a cape and eyepatch, and he'd used glittery makeup to write #1 on his shirt. Selene was wearing the remains of the suit Jacin had used, as well as some hot pink fingerless gloves, and she had apparently been using her legs as canvases for makeup artwork in the meantime. 

Winter wished he had taken a picture. She only remembered what they had been wearing because when her father was trying to clean them up, he had taken the costumes and packed them away. She had them in her room. But she wanted to see the smiling faces, her Selene especially. 

Winter was at the menagerie. She had been for a while now. Finally, she stepped in. She didn't immediately see Ryu in his enclosure, and she almost panicked. But then she saw him.

He was there, and he was safe, and he was there! Winter rushed over. She nimbly hopped over the  fence, hugging him. He licked her face. Winter sighed in relief.

He wasn't mad at her for breaking her promise. He still loved her. 

Deep down, Winter knew that her level of worry had been irrational. She knew something was off. 

But Ryu was here, and Ryu was laying next to her, and Winter was laying next to him, and she was so relieved and glad that she didn't even care.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment! Constructive criticism is welcome!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actually, this time, I AM Marissa Meyer! Mwa-ha-ha-ha!
> 
> Just kidding (sadly). I am not Marissa Meyer, no matter how hard I pray every night, and it's beginning to look like I never will be. :(

Jacin walked into Winter's room.

Winter wasn't there. 

That wouldn't normally be bad, but in light of recent events, Jacin knew he should really find her and make sure she was alright.

It was a good thing that he knew exactly where she would be.

After all that panic, that sadness, that level of irrationality, there was really only one place she could be.

The menagerie.

Jacin knew that even on normal days, there was a high chance Winter would be there. Today? The chances that she  _wasn't_ there were about nonexistent. She was probably seeing Ryu. He really hoped Ryu appreciated all this trouble on his behalf. He _really_ hoped the stupid wolf had the sense to be very, very, very good today. 

At the same time, he knew it probably didn't matter if Ryu hid under a rock and refused any affection whatsoever. Winter just wanted to know he was there, from what he had been able to tell last night.

Jacin was heading downstairs to check on Winter. 

Then he saw someone that made his heart stop.

_Queen_ _Levana._

And she was angry.

"Jacin," she intoned, fire in her eyes. "Would you like to explain why Princess Winter missed breakfast, lunch, dinner, a dress fitting, her lessons, and a meeting with Thaumaturge Aimery yesterday?"

Jacin quickly extinguished any emotion or stray thoughts in his head. His expression became totally blank. He stood up straighter. 

"My queen, Princess Winter was...  _missing..._ for nearly all of yesterday. I found her in a closet around 5 o' clock. She fainted upon exiting the closet and could not be revived until midnight. I was in the process of going to the menagerie to see if she is currently there. I believe she may be with the wolf, Ryu."

After all, she could just as easily pull it straight from his head. Might as well tell the truth.

Queen Levana did not look appeased. Then a small, remorseless smile appeared on her face.

"Did you say that she was with that wolf?" She demanded. "The white one, Rue or Ree or whatever it's name is?"

Jacin responded immediately. "Yes, my queen, I believe she is with the white wolf Ryu."

Levana looked like she had completely forgotten about all the important things Winter had missed yesterday. She looked like a kid in a candy store. "Oh, my." she murmured, "Jacin, dear. You might want to go check on that princess of yours. I- oh, this is  _lovely."_

Levana might have said more, but she was too busy laughing. 

Jacin might have said more, but he was too busy sprinting downstairs. 

 _Something is very, very wrong._  

First, Winter totally panicked over not seeing Ryu  _once._ Then she woke up and apparently decided that Ryu was more important that other, minor things like food and telling Jacin that she wasn't in the middle of a total breakdown. Then Levana acting so strange about Ryu. 

Jacin knew that he had to find Winter and Ryu. For all he knew, Queen Levana had decided Ryu and Winter should be stuffed and mounted on the palace wall- it certainly wouldn't be the first time a menagerie animal was killed on a minor whim. And really, what was Winter to Levana but another animal?

Jacin was rushing down the stairs so fast that he didn't even notice when he passed Sybil Mira and almost knocked her over. On a normal day, she would have manipulated him into an immediate apology. But today, she knew exactly what was going on, and it was far too funny to delay for even a second. She looked down at her portscreen again.

Downstairs, Jacin had reached the menagerie and rushed in. He saw Winter in Ryu's enclosure and relaxed.

Then he noticed what was wrong.

Jacin's angry yell spread through the menagerie at the same time as Levana, Aimery, Sybil Mira, and a dozen other high-ranking officials watched the security footage of the menagerie. This was far more entertaining than any jester or manipulation game. They couldn't wait for the inevitable climax. They knew it was about to happen. 

And they knew that, however unkind this may be, they might never see anything that would be as funny again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment! Constructive criticism is welcome!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not Marissa Meyer :'(. Don't own anything.

 

Rye wouldn't play fetch.

Winter frowned, breaking another branch off the tree.

"Come on, Ryu! You love fetch, remember?"

Winter lobbed the stick as hard as she could, but Ryu only stared at her sadly.

Maybe Ryu didn't want to play fetch. Maybe he was hungry.

Yes! That was it! He must be hungry! Winter would get him some special food, just for him, and he would eat it and  _then_ they could play fetch!

Winter hugged Ryu, whispered ' _I'll be right back, Ryu!'_ , and hopped over the fence again. She skipped out of the menagerie. Just before leaving, she looked back. She didn't see the white wolf, but she figured he was probably just hiding.

Winter slid down the banisters, all safety concerns totally gone. She was flying down the stairs, to get food for Ryu, so they could play fetch and wrestle and have fun! 

A thought occurred to her. Maybe Jacin could come too! They could all play fetch! Ryu could fetch the stick, or Winter, or Jacin, or anyone, or no one. She wasn't picky. She was excited that she could play with Ryu again. A day without him was far too long. After today, she would always visit Ryu first thing in the morning.

Winter's smile was so big, she felt like it would burst off her face. It was almost painful, it was so wide. She probably looked a little crazy, she realized. Her hair was a mess, her dress was dirty and wrinkly, one of her earrings had fallen off, she was barefoot, she was smiling like a crazy person, and she was sliding on the banisters. But really, wasn't she already crazy? Everyone said so. Her stepmother, the thaumaturges, the court, even the servants whispered it. Of course, the servants were also her friends, so they wouldn't say it to her face like the others. But she heard them talking.

But Jacin never called her crazy. Ryu never called her crazy. Granted, Ryu couldn't speak. But Winter knew that if he could, he wouldn't call her crazy, he would be nice. Because Ryu was nice and loyal and beautiful and regal and her best friend. Along with Jacin, of course.

Winter went a little too fast on one of the banisters and flew off. For a second she thought she would hit the wall like last time and break a bone or something else just as painful. She winced in anticipation. But her momentum only carried her for about a foot before dropping her onto the carpeted floor.

Winter thanked her lucky stars that there was a carpet on the floor. She stood up, smoothed her dress, and got right back to flying down the stairs. After all, the kitchens were another five floors down.

Winter realized that she hadn't seen anyone on the staircase. That was very unusual. Normally she would have seen at least one servant, and usually someone higher ranking as well. On a bad day, someone might even try to manipulate her or do... other things. Winter winced, remembering certain encounters with dukes, counts, and others that might have ended badly if she hadn't screamed so loud.

But there was no one today. Not even a single maid. Winter frowned. She hoped it wasn't some new holiday. That would mean that the cooks would be too busy to make Ryu any food. It would also mean that she would have to attend some sort of party, probably. Winter racked her brains, trying to think of something, but all she could think of was the Lunar Eclipse in a month. That was big, but it wasn't for a while yet.

Well, at least the kitchens were normal. All of the usual activity was there. Chefs and cooks and dishwashers and bakers and every job description imaginable, all in one place. Winter believed they actually had an Official Macaroni And Cheese Maker.

Winter always loved the kitchens. While some of the people there were cruel or manipulative or mean, most were kind and good and loved Winter. They always had a cookie or cupcake for her when she was hungry, a hug to offer if she was sad, or a task for her if she was bored. Even when she proved to have little to no skill at cooking, they kept letting her try, not just because she was the princess, but because of how happy it always made her. When she was there, Winter felt safe. Accepted. Like she was worth something.

Someone saw Winter standing in the doorway.

"Winter's here, y'all! Act lively!" burst out, followed by laughter. Winter laughed too. As if the busy room could get any livelier.

Winter danced through the kitchen, avoiding bumping into anyone through some sort of miracle. She saw someone she recognized at the same time as they saw her.

"Winter!" "Beryl!"

The two girls hugged each other. They weren't close friends, but Beryl was very nice to Winter, and consequently Winter loved her.

Beryl brushed flour off her hands, a little late. She looked apologetic.

"I may have just gotten flour on your dress, Winter. Although... it already needs a wash. No offense."

Winter laughed. Beryl was never afraid to speak her mind, even to her. She didn't mind it- it was refreshing after so many lies from everyone else.

"I need food for Ryu," Winter explained. "I believe he does not eat plants. Meat, I think, is what he prefers."

Beryl giggled. She knew exactly who Ryu was, after hundreds of times when Winter had come in with the same request. And every time, Winter forgot that Ryu was a wolf and only ate meat. Beryl thought it was adorable.

"Well, Winter, you're in luck. I have some leftovers from last night. I was going to throw them away, but you are free to have them."

Winter grinned. "Thank you, Beryl! Ryu says thank you too, from last time!"

Beryl smiled again, thrusting a plate into Winter's hands. It was covered in turkey. Winter wasn't sure if Ryu liked turkey, but she guessed she would find out.

"Goodbye, Beryl! I'll come back later today!" called Winter, already halfway up the first flight of stairs.

Beryl shook her head and smirked. She knew that Winter would, like as not, forget her promise. She also knew that Winter would come back, promise or no, by tomorrow anyway, for some reason or other. She always did. 

On the stairs, Winter was running. The plate seemed very heavy all of a sudden, but before she knew it Winter was at the menagerie. She practically sprinted to Ryu, holding up the food for him to see.

"Look, Ryu! Beryl got turkey for you! I don't know if you like turkey. Hmmm. That could be a problem. Still, you can try it!"

Winter climbed the fence and put down the turkey in front of Ryu. His reaction was unexpected.

Ryu always had a ravenous appetite. Jacin always said that the wolf would eat the whole palace if he could. Turkey or not, he would always at least try the food before deciding if it was any good.

But Ryu didn't touch the food.

Winter frowned. Then she saw that Ryu's food area, which always had some sort of meat for him (although not cooked like he liked it) was empty. Rye must have eaten already.

Winter gave up on the turkey since he had already eaten. She pushed it to the side (Beryl would understand) and snuggled up with Ryu. She felt his heartbeat against her cheek, the one with the scars.

She was almost asleep when Jacin's angry yell tore through the peace in the menagerie.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I added a non-canon character! I'm sorry, I like Beryl, I like the idea of Beryl, I'm keeping her in this fanfic at least. This doesn't qualify it for AU status though, right? I don't believe it does. I'm just adding a non-canon character tag. ANYway, please comment, constructive criticism welcome, the usual. I'm almost done with this, maybe one or two more chapters! Exciting- finishing my first fanfic! Yay!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I discovered, after lots of thought (and time, sorry) that I hated the original Chapter 11. I'm sorry, I don't have a beta reader so some chapters just turn out horrid and I can't tell. This will probably happen again and then I won't update for the next few months or so because I'm a terrible person with no motivation whatsoever. But rest assured, I will always come back eventually, because unfinished stories bother me. And then I'll probably delete the most recent chapter, what ever it happens to be. But I'll rewrite it, so we're all good! Again, terribly sorry for the wait. The chapters are going to be a bit more predictable than before, but the other extreme is definitely worse. Thanks for reading!

Winter groaned. Jacin was being so loud, she just wanted to sleep! But he was yelling, telling her to  _move, Winter, move now! You have to move!_ Well, that sounded important, but Ryu was curled up against her and he was so warm and his fur was so soft and his heartbeat thumped reassuringly against her cheek and- wait. 

His heartbeat wasn't thumping reassuringly against her cheek. It wasn't even thumping at all. In fact, he wasn't warm or soft. He wasn't there.

She had been imagining it? But he had been so real, and so sweet, and if she was imagining it, then where was he now?

Well, the warmth hadn't been totally imaginary at least. She still felt heat radiate onto her skin, and it seemed to be getting warmer, like a blanket building up heat inside, but she had no blanket. 

Jacin was still screaming, he sounded closer. What on Luna was wrong? She was just so tired, if she could just sleep now, she could deal with the trouble later.

His words blurred together, but one stood out loudly, over and over. What word was that? It was hard to think-

_Fire._ The word was fire.

Fire!

Winter shook herself awake. Fire brought back bad, bad memories. Little Selene, the awful smell of burnt flesh, her step-mother asking  _Is she dead?_ Poor Selene... but there were more immediate problems!

Winter screamed. The warmth was no longer comforting, it was scary, intimidating, threatening. And it was bright colors, red and orange and gold and scarlet, and it was getting closer, and there was nowhere to run! The smoke rising seemed to form faces, laughing at her, trapped in the center of the flames, when they themselves escaped so easily. She heard their laughter, whispering in her ears to give up, just lay back down, go to sleep, because she couldn't escape. She was going to die, trapped in flames like Selene, and she would feel Selene's pain, and her fear, and  **what a terrible way for a little girl to die, poor Selene!** She wanted to cry, or yell, or hide. But the ring of flames surrounding her was too close, the fire was too close, the warmth became heat, and a spark jumped out at her and burned her hand. 

Where the spark touched, her hand froze. Literally, became ice, and spread, up her arm and through her veins and on her skin and down her legs and up her neck and in her skull, and she was a girl of ice and snow, and this was not her natural habitat. She did not belong among the flames and smoke and sparks, she needed cold. Snow and ice.

Jacin wasn't even visible through the thick flames, but she heard him over the crackling laughter of the smoke-faces and the fire-faces. His voice was hoarse, from screaming. He was telling her to run. She wanted to ask him where, where could a girl of snow and ice run when they were trapped by people of flame? But she couldn't make a noise over a croak, the smoke stole the oxygen from the air, and the fire was so close now, her hands and arms and legs were melting, and she saw the sparks hit her but she couldn't feel it, and she was a girl of snow and ice but mostly of water because she was melting-

Ryu appeared beside her. He was his old self, happy and energetic, and he licked her melting, burned hand of ice, and then he howled. He howled and in the howls, she heard words, words like  _love_ and  _protect_ and  _family_ and  _princess._ Winter was too scared, and too sad, and this was probably just another hallucination, but she didn't care, because Ryu was back and he had told her he loved her. 

And then he was gone, running away through the flames, but he was untouched, and the ice on her body melted off fully, and she was human again, more than human. She was a girl of smoke and flame, and this was her natural habitat, and she knew she was crazy, but she could get out. She knew she could get out of the fire.

Ryu had shown her the way out. She knew she could get out like he did. She looked at her own hands, and they were made of flame. She could get out of here, she could get to Jacin. He was still screaming.

Winter took in a creaky, choking breath through the smoke, and plunged through the flames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CLIFFHANGER. MWA-HA-HA-HA. Just kidding. I'm not (well, I am, but not that much) evil, I'll post again by tomorrow. If anyone even sees this.


End file.
